I happen to like most things (don't like lima beans) but have no problem with someone who dislikes something and I respect their wishes. However, I have a friend who has a long list of things she doesn't like.....says she's not a fussy eater.......I don't have a problem with that either. The problem is, most of the things she says she doesn't like, she's never tried. That, I have a problem with. How do you know you don't like something unless you've tried it.

My FIL was an avid hunter and hunting is popular where we live. My husband has never been interested in hunting; he doesn't like to kill other living creatures.

But, we both like venison and every now and then someone will give us some stew meat or a package of chops. I make venison stew the same way I make beef stew and the chops usually end up on the bbq grill.

We also like lamb which I find has a similar flavor to venison. They both have that kind of wild taste. I have always thought that if a person didn't like lamb they wouldn't like venison either.

We all have our food preferences, likes and dislikes and I don't think any of us likes it when other people insist that we eat something we don't like. I don't like any organ meats, oysters or cooked tomatoes (exception spaghetti sauce but even then I usually add beef broth or beef gravy); if someone insists I eat those things when they know I don't care for them, I think they are being rude. Judy, that was a good way to put a stop to your SIL's insistence that you'd like her venison. Good for you!

I agree with how it is handled makes a huge difference. The mule deer that I ate years ago that was pretty good was killed by my bil, who was a very experienced hunter and taxidermist, and I know he was very particular about everything. I asked him how to cook it, and he said salt, pepper, flour and chicken fry it.

Sherry, I hate it when people do that (showing off the carcass). I don't want to see a dead deer strapped on the hood of your vehicle nor do I want to eat one that has been treated that way. When I worked at the school, there was a house across the street. A hunter lived there and he hung his dead deer from a tree in the front yard. It was there for a week and the kids found it upsetting. Heck, most of the adults found it upsetting. We were so glad when he finally took the poor thing down.

I like game meat, except for turkey. That said, it is entirely acceptable to dislike venison (or anything else) in my home. It is just personal taste.

On the topic of "how it is cooked", I will say the game is much less forgiving that most domestically raised meat. Generally, it is because it is much less fatty and will turn to shoe leather if open roasted or overcooked.

I don't like lima beans. I wish there were a hunting season for those things!

I don't know why some people insist on trying to force their food preferences on others. Husband only hunts with his camera, but a friend of his is an avid hunter and has foisted venison and venison sausage on us even though he knows we will not eat it. He feels we will change our minds once we taste it. Uhhh, no!! So it's languishing in the freezer until it's freezer clean-out time.

Me, I dislike venison as well, even with having hunters in the family it just isn't very exciting for me. I don't know what the appeal is, but if it's your thing, then you enjoy it. I'm not a big meat eater these days as it is and having that much meat in the freezer would be overwhelming for me to manage.

Good comeback, Judy G. I will remember that, the next time, someone tries to get me to eat it, and tells me it is cooked a different way. Believe me, I have had it cooked by numerous people, and it doesnt taste good. Hubby loved it, and I would get it started for him, and then leave the house and go somewhere for several hours, because, I also cant stand the smell, if it is in the oven, or on the stove. I dont like mushrooms either. I dont like to be rude, but, I just cant eat them, so I do discreetly pick them out if I go somewhere that someone has put them in their food. Maybe I am picky, but, I cant eat lamb either. I also do not like most types of fish. I am not fond of lima beans, but, I can eat them, if they are in a meal that is served.

I like venison salami. That said, how we response to things can have many reasons. For some cilantro tastes like soap! This is actually in their DNA.

My SIL thinks that when a skunk sprays, it smells like brewing coffee.

Almond and cherry have similar components and can confuse l people when they are interchanged in certain products.

Dawn, Why in the world would he hang it in the front yard or anywhere outside? Every coyote in North Alabama would be here! Not to mention flies! Eeeww. You have to have a walk in cooler to let it hang here. Even if you are up north where it stays 40* or lower, I would think it would have to be inside something!

The only thing I don't care for is peanut butter and Kool Aid. Guess what was served at every kid function while I was growing up.

I don't care for it either. My family does hunt, not my husband, and they have a lot of the meat mixed with pork and beef and make sausage out of it. I do like it that way but probably because I mainly taste the other Meats and seasonings.

You got me, Sherry. That's what all of us were wondering. My guess is that he was showing off his kill for the world to see. It was disgusting - I've always believed that an animal should be treated with respect after it is killed for humans to eat. There was nothing respectful about that display.

Bloodthirsty? I've never tried drinking deer blood. Am I missing out on something?

ETA - removed last comment.

I'm certainly not a hunter and I don't even care for venison but I do know (from watching various Animal Planet shows) that a deer often needs to be hung for several days to a week or two after field dressing in order to age and tenderize the meat......just as one does with beef. So it is not a matter of "disrespecting" the animal but rather a recommended method of preparing it for human consumption.

And a lot of times this is done outside in full view of any passers by. Provided the temperatures are suitable.......as they are in many parts of the counry during deer season.

Gardengal, that is why ours is quartered and placed in the frig to age. Unless you are able to have a cooler you cannot hang the entire deer. If it is placed in the frig and the quarters rotated, it does the same thing as hanging.

I thing the problem with the one Dawn talked about was it being in the front yard. Every now and then it stays cold enough here for my husband to hang in our garage until the next morning and then we put in the frig.

If anyone is interested, this guy has some great videos and very good recipes and books. He also forages for all kinds of wild plants.

https://honest-food.net/

This year here in the KC area it has been plenty cold if I wanted to hang a deer in my shed for the last week. It was 6F opening morning last Saturday and it hasn't risen above 32 all week. Normally we would have highs at least in the 50s and lows around 30-35. I have a couple deer bags somewhere in my hunting supplies that are big enough to hold an entire deer less the legs but I've never used one.

I usually only hang them for a day or 3 at the most if the weather permits.

I used to love venison. Then someone didn't properly prepare the meat. I've had a hard time eating it ever since.

People love or hate certain things. I'm ok with that. I ask my kids to try new foods and they are told if they really don't like it, they can spit it back out, but just don't be gross about it. They would try venison if it were offered.

My dad and brothers used to go deer hunting when I was growing up. They would come back without anything. As a joke, I drew them a picture of a deer and hung it on the refrigerator so they would know what one would look like when they went hunting the next day. That was the day they finally got one. They've gotten pretty good at it by now. They usually have enough so they can give some away. A lot of people love it, but don't hunt.

Yes, my issue with hanging the deer out in the front yard was that it was that the school children had to see it every morning when they arrived and in the afternoon when they left for the day. Maybe not as disturbing for the older kids but the little ones were upset by it. The guy could have just as easily have hung it in his backyard.

The respect part is that, and maybe this is just me, but I feel like people should treat the carcass with a certain degree of respect rather than putting it on display like that. And, as Sherry mentioned with it hanging in the front yard it could have attracted loose dogs or wild predators such as a coyotes, bears or mountain lions. Having those types of wild animals hanging out near a school creates a safety hazard for the students when they are at recess on the playground or when they are walking to and from school.

I know meat has to be hung and aged as part of the processing, but I just feel like there were better ways it could have been done in this case.

I like venison.

My husband hunts and our freezer is stocked with venison every year. I've been deer hunting a few times myself, and plan to go again this year.

As Sherry said, it's how it's processed. We age our venison in ice chests. It's cut into quarters, put in big ice chests with the plugs pulled so the water and come out and covered with ice every day. We do this for at least 1.5 weeks, usually 2. We then take it to a local processor and have it butchered to our specs. Usually the back straps, a few roasts and then everything else ground.

If it's not aged properly, it tastes bad. Same way with beef & bison. No age -- not good.

I am NOT one to eat anything that tastes the least bit gamey, and when we process it this way, it isn't.

The last 2 years, we found a guy that will make tamales. We take him all the ground meat, he'll keep 1/2 for his "pay." OH My! They are SO good. And you cannot tell that it's venison.

Pretty simple.

If you don't like it, don't eat it. And don't condemn anyone who does like it.

**edited to add**

We don't hang ours out in the front for the world to see. In fact, the only time it's hung is to process it. (Remove the skin & cut it up) After that, it goes into the ice chests.

And as for wild pig, IMHO, that needs to be processed just like pork is at the butcher. Smoked or aged... however they do it. It's just nasty tasting otherwise.

I hate it. And one of my biggest pet peeves is people telling me, a GROWN woman, that no, i really do like it. I am just too inexperienced or stupid to KNOW that I like it. That line: "You haven't had it the way I cook it." or "You haven't had it made the right way." GRRRRRRRR. That goes for all fish and seafood too. I don't like it. No, its not because I haven't had i cooked the right way, or that it wasn't fresh, or whatever else they try to use to convince me that my own personal tastes are somehow corrupted. I. Don't. Like. It. YOU eat it, and leave me alone with my fried chicken and mac and cheese okay??????

As for hunting, we don't. And I have no problem with people who hunt for food purposes. But there are a lot of people who hunt for the thrill of it. My sister and her family live in a more remote part of the sticks then i do, and they have a constant problem this time of year with people dumping headless deer carcasses in the field across from their house. Imagine the scandal the year one of their dogs dragged a dead, headless deer into the life sized manger scene they put in their yard every year. I can't imagine sitting and waiting to kill something just to kill it. Not to eat it. Just to take its life for fun. Ugh.

While I enjoy eating almost anything, I don't like venison. I won't eat it.

I'm also anti-hunting. I know this isn't true of all hunters but many that I know seem to have out-of-control macho feelings and going out and shooting defenseless animals seems to help them control themselves. They maybe should try shooting one another, it would cut down on unintended hunting accidents and excessive gun ownership.

My DH comes from a long line of hunters in his family. He is very, very good at it. Rifle and bow hunting. Both our kids do also. Both very good. Our son in law has started hunting now also. They will all be in the woods Monday after Thanksgiving. I very, very seldom buy any red meat at the grocery store. We use venison. Roasts, steaks, tenderloin and lots of burger. Elk is even better than venison.

We do all the processing of our venison. I hope everyone gets one this year. Good luck to all the hunters. Be careful and safe.

I don’t eat it and there are no hunters in my family. I do understand the important role of responsible hunters though. Seems we killed most of their natural predators. So as long as they are hunted for food and not as trophies, I am ok with it. Saying as the person catching every insect inside the house in a glass and releasing it outside.

I like pork and beef, and will eat venison, but I do not like lamb. There is something about the smell of lamb that turns me away.

I have only had venison a few times and I do like it but I don't know anyone who hunts. I tend to enjoy different meats and organ meats etc. Except for brains and sweetbreads. It's a texture thing.

Sherry, if I ever happen to be out your way I will track you down and invite myself to venison dinner at your house for a week! LOL You've been warned.

My husband has beef sticks and sausage made out of a lot of his, which I love. I don't care for the steaks or the meat in any other fashion. Deer here are big pests. I was reading the accident report yesterday and 7 out of the 8 accidents were deer vs. car, which can be deadly. I have hit two deer with my car and had near misses several times. I could not personally kill an animal though. I feel bad for the animal when they bring them home, but not bad enough I guess.

In our community, deer live near the front door, in the back yard, in town, wherever there is vegetation good enough to eat. While driving through a neighborhood near the park, I spotted this guy stalking a doe a few yards away.

No need to hunt deer around here, they come to you.

Nice buck!

We have deer all around and until we got the dog they were on our property daily. They eat crops and landscaping if you don't protect it. Even with the dog they occasionally come in so we can't get comfortable with our plants. They also weren't taught not to run out in front of cars when they were fawns. They are beautiful animals and I love watching them but they can become too numerous in an area if not thinned out by hunters. They don't have any predators left around here except for the coyotes.

That is a nice buck! I haven't heard much shooting so far today.

We had this guy hanging around our house during last year's hunting season. He showed up the first week of August and stayed nearby until both the bow and rifle seasons were over. His antlers were still covered with velvet. We have lots of does and fawns, but rarely see bucks except during hunting and mating season. They also tend to congregate in town when the hunters are out and about. It's like they know where the safe zones are.

I live in an extremely over-populated area. It's typical to see a herd for 10-30 deer in my yard. I'd much rather the hunter ate them than to see them starve to death over the winter. Also there is a program here where hunters can cull out the over-population and give the meat to food banks.

I think that sometimes we all take a disliking to something if we have had it and didn’t like it and won’t try it again. I haven’t found anything I won’t eat, although some things I won’t order in a restaurant and waste money to only have a bite or two. I love meat, but even beef tenderloin if it’s overdone, I won’t waste my calories on. My husband claims he hates quinoa although I got him to admit he’s never tried it! Venison, I have never found it prepared anyway that I like. I would eat it if served to me, but don’t really care for it. That’s ok to me, but I get frustrated trying to cook for fussy people. Especially if they make a bid deal about it.

People have lots of personal food likes and dislikes. They are often foods that we ourself like, sometimes a lot. Often it is because the first time they tasted a particular food it was poorly prepared. Other times it's just a lack of experience with any food out of our comfort zone.

Whatever the reason, it really doesn't matter. If you don't like it, just don't eat it. Many others will think you're missing something really special, but if it's not to you, then so be it.

We were given a fair amount of venison once. Tried a steak & didn't like it. It may have been my cooking. Tried the stew meat & thought the stew was ok. The steaks became stew meat to use it up.

As hunters, DH and I either eat or give away all the meat. He and I have different likes and dislikes. Of all the game I find venison from a white tail deer to have the strongest game taste. Bison is like rich deeply flavored beef and is very tender. Elk ( also a venison ) is very mild and not wild tasting at all. Watusi is just delicious. Everyone who has tried it here just loves it. Most tougher cuts can be ground or long-cooked in liquid to make them tender.

If someone wishes to be anti-hunting, I simply don't discuss it with them. Many people are happier getting their meat in a store. To each his own. We are not out to convert anyone.

I think it is wrong to try and force a food on someone who declines to eat it, wild game or not. Especially adults.

We only have the choice for white tail deer here. I'm sure he would like to bring the others home and I would enjoy having different cuts to chose from, but we don't live anywhere near the others.

Like I said above, I am not going to try to convert anyone. It cost a lot of time and money to hunt and process. We either eat it all ourselves, share with the son that doesn't have time to hunt, or the neighbors that loves it, but can't hunt.

He is not going to turn down a trophy and I will cook all of it, but he mostly hunts for the table. He fresh water fishes the same way.

I had to look up what a Watusi is. I have seen some in the pasture the next road over from me. So this is probably not something you hunt in the wild, right? I mean the ones I am seeing are just standing there like any other cow.

I hate venison too. You can't dress it up to make it taste good either.

Venison combined with ground pork, makes excellent sausage

If you like the flavor so much, why mask it by mixing in pork?

It doesn't mask the venison. Venison is dry and you need the pork for it's fat. It is also a good blend of flavors.

Don't like fish, any wild game or lamb.or veal. Raised in Kansas, with access to great beef, I guess that's my favorite, and pork and chicken. Love shrimp and crab, but that's probably the novelty and expense.

I've never had venison. I would like to try it once, but I have to agree with not being comfortable with those who hunt just for sport. Even so, we have a whitetail overpopulation problem here, so the herd is not healthy and the woods won't be either if it continues. In that case, I think they should let the hunters thin the herd and give the meat to the food banks (if the clients will eat it, that is).

I had never had lamb or mutton until I was an adult. We had mutton on the Navajo reservation and liked it. Lamb korma is one of my favorite dishes now. It took me awhile to like sheep's or goat's milk cheese -- some I still don't like. And I haven't yet found a taste for goat -- that smells and tastes nasty to me.

I've had cabrito once...that is a young goat. It didn't taste bad, but I wouldn't eat it again. My dad loved mutton. It tasted how wet wool smells to me. (I had a pet sheep, so familiar with that smell.) Maybe my mother didn't know how to cook it. She wasn't a fancy cook...everything was basic.

My first experience with goat was in the Caribbean. We had a traditional goat stew and it was really delicious. I've since had goat tacos in Mexico and they were also very good. I imagine that, like other animals raised for their meat, young goat is much milder and more tender than meat from an older goat. If I ever have the opportunity, I'd eat goat again.

Mutton should be cooked the same way other, somewhat tough meats are......low and slow. It has a great deal of flavor so doesn't need a lot of seasonings. But if you don't like lamb, stay away from mutton (if you can even find it). Basic is good :-) My favorite is Lancashire hotpot, which layers cubes of mutton or lamb, sliced potatoes and onions and is cooked several hours at a low heat.

Of course mutton is to lamb, what an old "stewing chicken" is to what might be called a "fryer" or "broiler". The former are older animals with tougher meat and often stronger flavors that sometimes people don't like. For me, the younger versions have flavors I enjoy more. I love lamb and dislike mutton. And we avoid buying or ordering stewing chicken.